After Class

The last episode of 2020!  Happy New Year!  What role does fasting play in Christian life?  This week's episode concludes the six-part series on fasting where the guys wrap up the New Testament passages and then offer some conclusions from all of the material.  

Merry Christmas from the After Class Podcast!  This week the guys reach the New Testament and the gospel of Matthew as they get closer to wrapping up the study on biblical fasting.  Do Jesus's practices or his teachings add anything new to the discussion?  

This week the guys wrap up the Old Testament passages on fasting.  What's the deal with fasting anyway?  Is it just a method of manipulating God - to convince him to change his mind?  Or is fasting all about humility and spiritual discipline?  Maybe fasting is meant to be a road to greater personal health?  Be sure to catch this episode (and the three previous) to get the summary of the relevant Old Testament passages and their implications.

The discussion on fasting continues this week as the guys get close to wrapping up the Old Testament's contribution to the topic.  The prophets add a new dimension - is fasting for the people or for God and is fasting something God wants or expects from his people?

This week the guys continue their focus on fasting.  Fasting in the Bible had multiple motivations and functions.  We find it was a way to "turn up the volume" on prayers and petitions directed to God.  And we see it was a way of humiliating the flesh to grieve or show solidarity in suffering.

As we enter this season of feasting - with Thanksgiving and Christmas on the horizon - the guys turn their attention to the subject of fasting.  What does Scripture say about fasting - what was its purpose, what situations called for fasting?  

In this week's episode the guys look to the Bible to see if it has anything to say about the use of marijuana or other recreational drugs.  It's a hot topic for many in the church as several states in America have voted to legalize marijuana and other drugs for medical or recreational use.  Do Christians have a dog in this fight - does the Bible give us a moral stance in the discussion on the use of marijuana?

In this week's episode the guys stick to their five-minute-format (mostly) to answer listener-posed questions and engage with the issues around this election season, nationalism, and the christian role in politics.

This week the guys respond to listener-posed questions centered on Christian involvement in politics.  With the election looming on the horizon it's a relevant and fruitful discussion.

It's the conclusion we've all been waiting for! This week the guys revisit and review the major atonement theories in light of the exhaustive (and exhausting) New Testament study they've done.  Which atonement themes/theories will end up on top?

Through a mix-up with the study notes, Paul's letters to the Corinthians slipped through the cracks.  But never fear - this week the guys address the missing passages and finally and truly reach the end of all the New Testament passages that speak about Jesus's death - it's purpose and what it accomplished.  Some of the language Paul uses will sound very familiar to those who have been in this study from the beginning.  But Paul does add some new and interesting tidbits to the discussion.

They've made it through all of the verses in all of the books! This week the guys finish their look through the New Testament books with Paul's pastoral letters (1 & 2 Timothy & Titus). If you've been on this journey from the beginning - what big picture themes have you noticed? How do the New Testament authors speak about Jesus's death?

What does Paul say about Jesus's death in Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and 1 & 2 Thessalonians?  He does discuss wrath in connection with Jesus's death but does he see Jesus as being punished on our behalf or is there something else going on?

The guys dig into Romans and Galatians this week looking for what Paul says about Jesus's death - what it accomplished and why it was necessary.  Paul speaks of Jesus as victor over sin and an obedient pattern for us to follow.  He also holds Jesus's death up as something we participate in and the key to our entrance into the new covenant.  Does Paul give any indication that he saw Jesus as taking God's wrath that was intended for us?

The guys turn to Revelation this week to see how John spoke about Jesus's death.  They find some references to Jesus as victor, a ransom, and the lamb who was slain.  But is there any mention of Jesus as our substitute or a payment to cover God's wrath?  The guys also give a start into Paul's letters (Romans and Galatians) which will be concluded in next week's episode.  

This week the guys zero-in on the letters of Peter and John as they work towards answering the question - What did Jesus die for?  Peter does use "ransom" language.  Is he using it to talk about Jesus ransoming us from the power and grip of satan or is he referring to something else?  When John speaks of Jesus's blood cleansing us and making atonement - is that pointing to Jesus taking our place or paying off God's wrath with his life?

What did Jesus's death accomplish and why was it necessary?  Did Jesus die to satisfy the wrathful and violent nature of God?  This week the guys dive into Hebrews - the book that is most often quoted to explain Jesus' death.  If Jesus is our high priest and the atoning sacrifice - how does all of that tie together? Is there anything in Hebrews about God's wrath or Jesus taking our place?

Why did Jesus have to die?  This week the guys offer a quick summary of where they've been in this discussion before moving on to see what the gospel of John has to say about Jesus's death.  John's gospel does use language of Jesus removing the "sins of the world" but maybe that doesn't mean all that we have traditionally thought.

This week the guys wrap up Jesus's death as portrayed in the Synoptics and move to the book of Acts.  Does Luke pair forgiveness of sins or atonement with the death of Jesus?  Is Jesus's death portrayed as a necessary response to God's wrath?

The conversation continues this week as the guys explore more of the reasons the Synoptics give for why Jesus had to die.  Why was his death necessary?  How did his death fulfill prophecy?  Does anything in the Synoptics indicate that Jesus's death was an answer or corrective to God's anger?